DR ANNE WEBSTER MP

SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR REGIONAL HEALTH

MEMBER FOR MALLEE

TRANSCRIPT

INTERVIEW WITH REBEKAH LOWE, ABC RADIO 

WIMMERA, MILDURA AND SWAN HILL

Tuesday 18 March 2025

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ELECTION COMMITMENTS, REACTION TO VOTER CONCERNS

LOWE

Now the federal election hasn't been announced yet, but there is no doubt our politicians are out on the hustings. Anne Webster's the member for Mallee has been an out and about, and there have been quite a few promises of if the coalition gets elected. I caught up with her yesterday and what she had to say about some of her promises.

WEBSTER

 … and I make it very plain when I'm talking to the community, are absolutely dependent on the coalition winning government. So they, election commitments. That's just the way it happens. So, we have very important I think what's exciting about this set of announcements is that it is largely for smaller towns who often miss out, in particular, over the last three years have really had nothing invested…. so, the councils and the local community are really thrilled.

LOWE

So how do you actually come up with these ideas and which ones to fund?

WEBSTER

We’ve working on the what I'll call ‘fighting for’ projects. For the last over 12 months, actually. So I go to the councils and I've asked them to put together whatever projects that are really important to their communities because it is the local shires that have, you know, and their fingers on the pulse in terms of which projects should be prioritised and what they are able to contribute to. So we do ask for some contribution, whatever that might be, to the projects. So that's how they come about and in some cases from the community. So the Beulah supermarket, for example, it was just so great to be in the community last week, and it was a great turnout of the community because they lost their Beulah supermarket in 2019. You’ll remember the fire that burnt it to the ground. And, they've struggled to get attention on that by the federal government. So, the community has raised $130,000, which is no small feat, I've got to say. And the president, Shaun Thompson, has just done a spectacular job getting the community engaged and, you know, thinking up creative ways of making some funds happen. And Graham and Jenny Turnbull as well. So that is, actually a $1.5 million project. And the community putting in $130,000 and my commitment is $1.392 million. And, I'm crossing my fingers for them. All of these, all of these, literally every one of these projects, they might not be big, massive hospitals, but they're all really important for the local communities. And that's what I want to see.

LOWE

How can people be guaranteed that those projects will be funded, though, if they give you your vote?

WEBSTER

So the commitments are fully costed and the costings, will be revealed, as far as I was aware, just before the election. And it's a normal process before elections for both major parties. This is just the way we go about it. So it has to be, really clearly, declared under the charter budget honesty. And, so it's all a process that just takes place.

LOWE

So do you, do you actually, do you have a certain amount that you can actually promise for your area that is allocated towards the Mallee, or do you just pick those projects or how does that actually work?

WEBSTER

Well, we go through a process, as I said, we've been doing for the last 12 months. It's been a very long process, I can assure you. There are more announcements to be made. I haven't made all the announcements yet, so I can't give you the total figure yet. It has been decided that I can't give it to you just yet.

LOWE

The Wesley Performing Arts Centre, $750,000 you're promising towards the completion of that project there. But when I look at that, I think it's nice that Horsham already does have a nice town hall, though. It has quite a spent quite a bit of money there for entertainment spaces. So why, why do we need to fund another one?

LOWE

That's a really interesting one. The previous council -  we obviously had a change of council - the previous council were the ones who provided me with a list of projects. And that particular project, the community itself at the Wesley Committee have raised $622,000. It's an extraordinary effort. They have told me when I met with them in the old church, a couple of weeks ago that it's perfect for smaller performances. So sometimes, you know, the arts community like to have more intimate performances, whether it's a, you know, I don't know, I don't know what they do. Maybe they speak poetry. I actually don't know what they do, but it's just good for smaller performances. I did say that intimate funerals have taken place there as well.

LOWE

People on the street about what these some of the comments so here they are:

Vox-pop 1

There is exorbitant taxes on everything. On alcohol especially. Well, it's killing hospitality.

LOWE

What about the cost of living?

Vox-pop 1

No, people have just got to live within their means.

Vox-pop 2

I think the main issues are definitely how much money is being spent in the country areas, especially on our roads, our health care as well. There's a lot of concern around here with mining as well, as well as wind farms and transmission lines as well. Our, we're huge farming community and I don't think they've really being listened to. I think we … we the whole green energy issue is not really being looked at properly.

Vox-pop 3

As a young man, I'm concerned about the future and wanting to have a house and home and everything just seems a lot expensive, really.

Vox-pop 4

I probably say the biggest 3 or 4 would be, you know, the normal one, the cost of living, power, whether, we’re with green energy, nuclear,… interest rates, and with, you know, the recent, the few recent days that have just happened with China, I think, you know, the Chinese warships being off the coast, you know, China's always going to be a big influence. So, you know, you got to deal with that.

LOWE

Real many and varied sort of issues there. What are your thoughts on what they've had to say there?

WEBSTER

Well, I found it really interesting and very similar, if I might say, to mobile offices. As far as I heard around the community, people come and talk to me about some of these issues and, the mining one, the wind farms and transmission line, of course. I've been incredibly active in that space, holding community meetings, going to community meetings across Mallee, and hearing what people have to say. I see my job is getting the people who make the decisions in the room. So that conversation can take place so people can hear the distress that I'm hearing, across Mallee. It is really distressing, like the stories that I've been told, Wimmera Field Days come to mind, people come up and spoke to me about just what is happening in their communities. And, it's incredibly sad. I don't recall a period or pressure, you know, farming communities, such as we're experiencing now with mining, you know, mines, lines and turbines.

LOWE

But what's the answer? For what? What is the answer there, Dr. Webster, though? Because the thing is, I mean, when your government was in power at the time, you were quite finding supporting these power line projects and so forth. How can you do that now, though, when it looks like they're going to go ahead anyway? So how can you do this for people?

WEBSTER

Well, the conversations are still taking place. So I, when I first, got into this role back in 2019, it seemed to me at face value investment in Mallee was, you know, I, we all want investment in Mallee, but it didn't take very long to realise what that investment would mean to our existing primary industry, which is agriculture. And by the time it didn't take very long at all for me to say, okay, well you know what … social licence is a key issue here, whether it's mines, lines or turbines. And, I think the processes have happened incredibly poorly. I think where the community are feeling railroaded, by the Labor, by Labor’s rush both to federal and state level. And, I've been having conversations with the Shadow Minister, for energy. And, he is coming down to, as I said, coming down to Mallee in the next couple of weeks. I don't make the decisions that he alone can make, but I certainly am putting the pressure on in terms of understanding what we are doing to our agricultural industries. But if Labor has already funded the Victorian State Government to drive these projects, including VNI West through, and the contracts are all signed and everything's underway and nothing can stop it, and we're really in a load of trouble. My hope is that that has not happened and that there are still other options to choose.

LOWE

But if you like to reflect and that has happened, what can you do about it?

WEBSTER

Well, I mean, as I say, if if Labor well, especially if Labor, Greens and Teals have control at the federal government after this election, I think we're in a lot of trouble.

LOWE

In what way? What way?

WEBSTER

Because. Because this drive will continue and intensify to speed up renewables. Speed up the VNI West. You know, I, I've spoken to hundreds of farmers who are locking the gate, and, you know, what are the choices? Do they have the right to appeal? Has been taken away at a state level. What we need in Victoria in 18 months is a coalition government to step in and to push their right to appeal back on the table and to look at other means and ways of a balanced energy process.

LOWE

The, we also heard from the one of the, people there on the street in Horsham said that, they're concerned about the, the cost of living is difficult because there are so many external factors, but taxes that something the government could control. Could the coalition consider reducing the access and alcohol to help with the country hospitality or reduce the fuel excise?

WEBSTER

Well, in about ten days we will have the budget in reply. And, I look forward to hearing what Angus Taylor is going to present at that budget in reply. There are certainly wraps on a lot of the policies and, you know, fair enough. We don't want them getting out and being killed before they start. They need to be a sound presentation of whatever our tax policies are including the tax excise. The Nationals have been advocating, within the coalition for that excise on draught beer to help hotels to help out industries. And I might I might actually also draw your mind to and your listeners to the coalition policy, which Labor, of course, have framed in an incredibly negative light. But the business lunches that used to take place years ago, being brought back minus the alcohol. But you, businesses, small businesses will help hospitality businesses by being able to take business lunches, take people, you know, up to 20,000 a year. I think that's a really good policy. I know it's been framed really negatively, by Labor that, you know, what I hear on the ground is that hospitality businesses really welcome it.

LOWE

Dr. Webster there, member for Mallee, who is already on the campaign trail, despite the fact that the election hasn't been called yet. But she announced funding for Little Lake, Boort also the Wesley Performing Arts Centre in Horsham, also funding for Splash Park at Kaniva, stage two of the Davis Park redevelopment at Nhill, funding for a Beulah Supermarket and also funding for Rainbows Mecca All Abilities Centre. She also said to have funding for the Mildura Swan Hill area in the coming weeks as well.

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